Our Greenway - Our Park

The Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway is a unique 3.2 mile recreation trail located on the North Shore of Long Island. Since 2009, the Greenway has been ‘the go-to’ place for children and families to walk, run, and bicycle. It is, in a very real way a ‘linear park’ where friends and neighbors can easily connect, exercise, and enjoy nature.

The Greenway is built on a 150 foot corridor held by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT.) The land was initially acquired in the mid-1900’s by the NYSDOT for a bypass highway. With community support, state and federal funding and the cooperation of the NYSDOT, the corridor was repurposed for pedestrian usage.

Our community has invested years of stewardship, volunteer time, and public support into making the Greenway an essential part of the Three Village and Port Jefferson Station area. Millions and millions of New York State and Federal tax dollars were dedicated to the buildout of the Greenway which supports public health, protects the environment, provides safe routes for children and the character of our neighborhoods.

It is now time for the Greenway to be incorporated into the state, or county or town park system - elevating its care, status and alleviating any concerns, however remote, that the NYSDOT will ‘remove’ the Greenway for a highway.

The Friends of the Greenway is an active, local association of trail volunteers. Some of the Members of the Friends served on the Greenway Task Force that was instrumental in the planning and design of the trail twenty-five years ago. Today, the Friends serve as the stewards of the trail - organizing cleanups, mowing the trail, guiding Scouting projects along the trail, and advocating for the protection and preservation of our public’s use of the corridor.

The Greenway has always depended on many partners – Scouts, school groups, our Trail Stewards, etc. We are especially thankful to New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay, County Legislator Steven Englebright, and Town Councilman Johnathan Kornreich for their support over the years. They are “regulars” at our Greenway’s monthly cleanup and serve as champions for the advocacy of the Greenway - the place you love.

At this time, the Greenway needs to move from being part of the state’s transportation department to becoming part of our area’s public park system. 

By this Petition we are asking that all elected officials - on the Town, County, and State level - work towards establishing the more appropriate ‘park designation’ for the Greenway.

Doing so would: 

·      Permanently protect the Greenway as public parkland.

·      Create an enduring and forever Greenway for our children.

·      Remove concerns that the Greenway could be used as an alternative highway to NYS Route 25A. 

·      Protect the millions of dollars in taxpayer funding used to build the Greenway.

·      Preserve the thousands of volunteer hours over the decades devoted to maintaining, protecting and enhancing the trail.

Sign our Petition today - 

                                                         Our Greenway-Our Park